Making Loose Ends Meet
by Slayer70
Summary: Takes place after my last story, Starting Over. This is a crossover with Buffy. After doubting his strength, Spike engages in a battle with a girl who has super strength. Meanwhile, Buffy may have discovered the location of the last slayer.
1. Making Loose Ends Meet: Episode 1

Making Loose Ends Meet

Episode 1

Wolfram and Hart, Los Angeles:

            The front door of Wolfram and Hart opened and Angel and Spike casually strolled in. They looked well-refreshed and glad to be back in Los Angeles. The main lobby was completely deserted for the night. There was hardly anyone working during the night. And if there was, it was for an important assignment.

            "It's nice to be finally back in LA," Spike said as the walked in, "Although it's not good to be back in this creepy place."

             "I know what you mean," Angel replied, "But I am the CEO and I've got a hell of a job to do running this whole place."

            "Do you even like working here, Angel?" Spike questioned, as he pressed the button for the elevator.

            "Of course not," Angel responded, "But at least now I have more resources at my disposal to help fight the good fight."

            "What do you mean now?" Spike asked.

            "I used to own this hotel," Angel answered, "It was where we ran the business."

            "You ran a business?" Spike questioned, laughing, "That's a bloody joke."

            "No joke," Angel said.

            "And I'm supposed to believe that," Spike said, chuckling."

            Just then the elevator doors opened. A familiar face was standing inside. She smiled at them.

            "Nice to have you back, Angel," Eve said.

            "Hello Eve," Angel replied.

            Eve was Angel's liaison to the Senior Partners. She had first appeared to Angel after he'd become CEO of the company. She was supposed to give him information from the Senior Partners and she did. But she was more annoying than helpful.

            Angel and Spike stepped into the elevator next to Eve. The doors closed and the elevator went up.

            "You know, the Senior Partners are angry with you," Eve informed.

            "Why?"

            "Because you left and have been gone for almost two months," she replied, "There was no one here to run the business. We lost large amounts of money and many clients because of that."

            "They'll have to learn to deal with it," Angel said, "I had some personal business to take care of."

            "No Angel," Eve said, "The Partners don't just give away vacations at random. You have to earn it. And you most certainly haven't done so yet."

            The elevator came to a stop and the three of them walked out and headed towards Angel's office. Angel pushed the doors opened and stared in disbelief.

            "What's going on?" he asked.

            There were boxes all over his desk. They were filled with all his belongings.

            "You think you can just come back after being gone for that long and expect to still have a job?" Eve asked.

            "I don't see why the bloody hell he can't," Spike put in, finally speaking up.

            "Don't you understand, Angel?" Eve asked.

            "Understand what?" Angel questioned.

            "You're fired!"

            "What?" Angel asked.

            "You heard me," Eve said, "The Senior Partners fired you."

            "Well Angel, at least I still have a job," Spike said, "Maybe they'll promote me to CEO."

            "What are you talking about, Spike?" Angel asked, "You never had a job here."

            "Oh…right."

            "The two of you are no longer welcomed here," Eve said, "Get out!"

            Angel and Spike didn't move. They weren't about to be kicked out of the offices by some lackey. Eve waltzed over to the desk and picked up the phone. She hung up a few moments later.

            No sooner had she hung up, than five guards showed up at the door to the office. They stormed in and came at Angel and Spike. After putting up a fight, Angel and Spike were carried out the door, unconscious.

New York City:

            It was a warm fall night and Buffy stood alone of a street corner. She had run off from the last three friends that remained. She didn't even now where they'd gone. But she assumed that they were probably looking for her at this very moment.

            She stepped across the street and passed a dark, shadowy alley. She got a strange feeling as she walked past. It seemed as if something with power was in there. But she wasn't dealing with it. She was through with her life as the slayer.

            "Where ya off to?" said a familiar voice.

            Buffy didn't even have to turn around. She knew who it was. But she didn't know why he was there.

            "What do you want?" Buffy questioned.

            "What are you doing moping around all the way up here?" Whistler questioned.

            "I'm not moping," Buffy replied.

            "You sure look like it."

            "I'm on vacation."

            "What, for the rest of your life?"

            "Why's it matter to you?"

            "Because you're drifting from your path?"

            "What do you mean?"

            "You aren't supposed to be wondering around New York City without anything to do. You're supposed to be out fighting the forces of darkness."

            "Says who?"

            "The Powers that Be."

            "And let me guess, they sent you back down here to convince me to go back to slaying."

            "Well…not exactly…okay, yeah."

            "That's what I thought."

            "Okay look, I have to tell you the truth. You weren't supposed to lose all your friends."

            "What?"

            "The Powers that Be didn't plan for that to happen. They figured that you would have used the orb before things got ugly. But I guess they figured it wouldn't take that long for you to make up your mind about using it."

            "I thought I could beat her without it. You said that the thing had the potential to destroy the world. And I didn't want to risk that unless I absolutely had to."

            "I see."

            "But that doesn't matter now. Nothing is going to bring them back from the dead."

            "You do know that a slayer isn't supposed to have friends?"

            "Yes, Giles told me many times before."

            "You were the only one. And they were the reason why you are still alive today."

            Buffy didn't respond. She didn't want to. She just listened to the words the Whistler said.

            "The Powers that Be look at you as the greatest slayer ever lived. When compared to all the others, you truly are the greatest. And not only are you the greatest, you are the last."

            "The last?"

            "After that day, there were no more potential slayers born."

            "What about all the others that were already here?"

            "The orb absorbed their slayer power and fused it with yours. When their power was completely drained, they died."

            "I killed them?"

            "No, the Powers were the ones that did. After you died the second time, the slayer line no longer ran through you. That's why another slayer wasn't called after you died."

Los Angeles:

            "This whole bloody thing was stupid," Spike said, taking a sip of his beer, "I mean what made us think we could just stroll back into Wolfram and Hart after being gone for a few weeks."

            "We have to get back control of the place," Angel said, sipping his beer.

            "Why?" Spike questioned.

            "It's the perfect place to continue our fight," Angel began, "We had the money, we had the resources, we had everything we wanted. And we could do whatever we wanted."

            "How do you plan to get it back?" Spike asked, "It's not like we can just waltz in there and take over."

            "We need to prove to the Senior Partners that we can still run the company," Angel said.

            "How?"

            "We'll talk to them."

            "And then what, get on our knees and beg them to give us our jobs back."

            "There's something called the White Room somewhere in the building."

            "And what's it for?"

            "It's a conduit for the Senior Partners. We can communicate with them from there."

            "Sounds like a bloody plan, I guess. But how do you plan to get in there?"

            "We'll have to break in."

            "Yes, sounds like the perfect plan, break into the impenetrable fortress of lawyers."

            "It shouldn't be that hard. You remember when those android things broke into the building, don't you?"

            "How could I forget those buggers?"

            "Well, they did it. So why can't we?"

            "Because there were more than a dozen of them and there are only two of us."

            "That adds to the stealth. We don't need to cause a scene. We just need to break in and find our way to the White Room. Then we'll be fine."

            "You know, I'm up for a little action. I'm in."

            "Good then let's get going."

London, England

            Giles had been in London for a few weeks now. He'd gone after right after the battle had ended, right after Buffy had disappeared from his life. She was like a daughter to him and now she was gone. He didn't even know where she'd gone to. He wanted to know that she was all right, but he knew that he'd probably never see her again.

            In London, Giles had gone to see the remains of the Watcher's Council. It was peculiar that they were never searched through or even removed. But that didn't matter now. He had searched through them himself and found several useful items. Many of the things he found though were in horrible condition.

            What he did find though, was Quentin Travers's Watcher Journal. It was in very good shape considering that the council building had been blown to pieces. Inside the journal were all sorts of things that had happened since Quentin had become head Watcher.

            But the thing that surprised Giles most was the fact that the Council had created a temporary slayer line. Faith had been right about it. After she and Buffy had been presumed dead, the Council became worried because a new slayer hadn't been called. So instead of making sure if Buffy and Faith were indeed dead, they took matters into their own hands and created a new slayer line.

            Giles was shocked at this. Where did the Council ever come up with magiks that powerful? It seemed impossible, but it was definitely true. Giles couldn't find any records where they may have kept this information. It was probably destroyed in the blast or they may have not even kept records.

Wolfram and Hart:

            "So where is this White Room?" Spike asked.

            "I'm not sure. I've never actually seen it," Angel replied.

            The two had easily broken into the building. It surprised them that security hadn't picked them up. They were now wondering the halls, in search of the White Room.

            "What the bloody hell do you mean you don't know?" Spike questioned.

             "Be quiet," Angel whispered loudly, "I've only been there once and I wasn't quite sure where in the building it was."

            "Then how do you expect your brilliant plan to work then?"

            "We'll find it, don't worry."

            The two crept along through the dark, deserted hallways. It was strange sneaking around a building that they once were in control of. But it had to be done if they were going to win back their jobs.

            "I just realized something," Spike said, "I don't even work here, so why am I doing this?"

            "Look Spike, we've already been over the fact that you don't work here," Angel said, getting annoyed.

            Spike didn't even hear Angel's last comment. He was too busy looking into a nearby room.

            "Hey Angel, is this it?" Spike asked.

            Angel, who was already up the hallway a bit, turned around to see where Spike was. His head was peering into a room through a door. Angel walked back towards Spike.

            "Is it white?" Angel asked.

            "I believe so," Spike replied, "Looks white to me."

            Angel grabbed the door and pulled it open. He walked in and Spike followed. The room was completely white. There were no other colors at all, except for them. Spike closed the door behind them.

            He and Angel strolled right into the center of the room, stopped, and began to look around. Angel turned and saw a familiar face.

            "Gunn?" Angel questioned, "But you're dead."

            "So Angel, you think you can just come back here and still have control of Wolfram and Hart?" Gunn questioned.

            "That's not Gunn," Spike whispered.

            "I know, Spike," Angel whispered back.

            "We do not allow things like this to happen," Gunn said, "Once you leave, you're gone forever."

            "It's not like we left for no reason," Angel said, "I had some important personal problems that I needed to deal with."

            "What, helping the slayer in her fight against the all-powerful Goddess?" Gunn asked.

            "How'd he know that?" Spike asked.

            "We are the Senior Partners," Gunn said, "We know about every apocalypse that occurs on this planet."

            "Well, that's interesting," Spike murmured.

            "See, employers are supposed to give their employees leave for when they have problems that they need taken care of," Angel said.

            "We're not normal employers as you already know," Gunn said.

            "But you should be," Spike said, stepping up, "You see if you don't give your employees time off, then they'll leave and you'll have no one."

            "He's right," Angel said, "And you need people to run the company. Without them, the company will fall apart. That's something you don't want."

            "Was the company really at lost without a CEO, or did Eve just make that up?" Spike asked, "I personally think she did. And I don't trust that woman at all and if I were you, I wouldn't trust her either. She's a sly one."

            Angel looked at Spike, confused. He hadn't a clue where Spike was going with this. But that was okay because it seemed to be working. The Senior Partners seemed to be thinking about it.

            "So, you want your job back?" Gunn asked.

            "That's right," Angel replied.

            "Done," Gunn said, snapping his fingers.

            As soon as that happened, Eve appeared right there next to them. She looked confused.

            "What's going on here?" Eve asked.

            Gunn held out a piece of paper and a pen. Even glanced at it for a second and then took it into her hands. She read for a few moments, while Spike and Angel just watched.

            "You're firing me?" she questioned.

            "That's right," Gunn replied.

            "Why?" she asked.

            "Our re-instated CEO believes that you haven't been doing your job," Gunn said, motioning towards Angel.

            "What?" she questioned, "Angel said this, and you believe him?"

            "Please sign over your job," Gunn said.

            Eve looked at the consequences in her head. She knew that if she didn't sign over her job that they would probably kill her. And if she did, she wondered what would happen to her.

            She put the pen to her paper and signed on the dotted line. Then she handed the paper back to Gunn.

            "Thank you," Gunn said, "Bye bye."

            With that, Eve turned and stormed out of the White Room. She was furious with Angel. There would definitely be revenge for what he did.

            "Well that was pleasant," Spike said.

            "Yes, no more Eve getting on my nerves," Angel added.

            "Get back to work," Gunn said.

            "What was that?" Spike asked.

            "Get back to work!" Gunn demanded.

            Angel and Spike didn't comment on that. The two turned and walked out of the White Room, their jackets flapping behind them. The form of Gunn turned and faced another man. This man was dressed very business-like. He was sporting a nice suit and was very tall.

            "Keep your eye on them," Gunn said, "I don't want them causing any trouble."

            "Will do," the man said.

New York City:

            "So now there's no slayer to take Faith's place?" Buffy asked.

            "That's right. The slayer line is completely gone," Whistler informed, "Which makes you the last slayer."

            "So what happens after I die?" Buffy asked, "I mean who's left to fight the vampires."

            "I'm not exactly sure," Whistler replied, "But there will always be people out there fighting the vampires."

            "Just civilians?"

            "Yes, like your Watcher or like the two vampires with souls."

            "Angel and Spike."

            "That's right. And those two will continue fighting the good fight until they are a pile of dust."

            "They can't do any good through Wolfram and Hart," Buffy said.

            "I'm sure you will be surprised at what they can do," Whistler said, "And I'm sure that your help would be greatly appreciated."

            "I can't go there."

            "And why not?"  
            "I have to get some answers to some questions."

            "Well then, ask away."

            "I need to seek out these answers myself. I'm going back to the roots of the slayer. I'm going to Africa."

            "And then what?"

            "And then maybe I'll return to fight the good fight," Buffy said.


	2. Full Moon: Episode 2

Full Moon

Episode 2

Wolfram and Hart:

            Spike was walking alone through the halls of Wolfram and Hart. He had nothing at all to do. Angel hadn't assigned him any jobs yet. Come to think of it, Angel didn't seem like he was ever going to assign him a job. He began to wonder why he had ever agreed to come back here anyway. It was a stupid idea.

            He decided to go to Angel's office and quit right away. There was no point of him being here. Angel could run this place on his on. Besides, Spike could care less what happened to the ponce.

            As he turned a corner, he saw someone sneaking into the science lab. He carefully snuck into the dark lab. He couldn't find the man though. That's when the lights came on. He turned towards the light switch. There was a man standing there, dressed in a suit.

            "Hello," the man said, "Looking for something?"

            "As a matter of fact, I'm looking for you," Spike replied.

            "That's interesting."

            "What are you doing in here?" Spike asked.

            "Just having a look around so I know where everything is," the man replied.

            "What do you mean?"

            "Well I will have a job here soon enough," the man informed, "So I need to know my surroundings."

            "There's no way in hell that I'm letting you take over!" Spike shouted.

            He charged this strange man. The man just swung his arm and knocked Spike over a lab table. Beakers went crashing to the ground. Spike rose to his feet. He was shocked.

            "How did you do that, mate?" Spike questioned in disbelief.

            "Like this," the man replied.

            The man walked over to Spike and lifted him into the air. He tossed the vampire across the lab. Spike landed on his chest on the floor. The man walked over and lifted Spike to his feet. Then he proceeded to beating Spike across the face with his fist.

            Spike attempted to get a hit in, but the man caught his fist and knocked him backwards. Spike went flying through a wall. Spike rose to his feet and saw this mysterious man coming towards him again.

            "What the bloody hell are you?" Spike questioned.

            The man reached into the hole and pulled out a splintered piece of wood. He twirled it in his hand a few times, looking it over.

            "Now you can just drop that piece of wood," Spike stammered, "No need for foul play."

            "I wouldn't call it foul play," the man said, "It's more like taking out the trash."

He stepped through the hole and walked towards Spike. The vampire looked terrified. The man reached Spike and grabbed hold of the collar of his duster. He backed the vampire against the wall and brought the stake to his heart.

"Can't we talk this over, man to man?" Spike questioned.

"No," the man replied.

"Now see, I think we can come to a fair agreement," Angel said.

The man spun around and came face to face with Angel's fist. The stake and the man fell to the ground. Spike backed up and stood behind Angel.

"That bugger is strong," Spike whispered.

"As I can see from that big hole you put through the wall," Angel replied.

The man slowly rose to his feet. Several armed men surrounded him. Their fingers just inches from the trigger.

"Don't move!" Angel commanded, "Or they'll shoot."

"I won't, don't worry," the man said.

            "How did you get into the building?" Angel questioned.

            "Oh it's quite easy to get in when you work here," the man replied.

            "What are you talking about?" Angel asked.

            "I'm sorry, I should have introduced myself," the man said, "I'm Hamilton, your new liaison to the Senior Partners."

            "Geez, I didn't think you liaisons could hit so goddamn hard," Spike mumbled.

            "Angel, can I talk to you for a moment?" Hamilton asked.

            "Sure," Angel replied.

            "Alone?"

            "No problem."

            "Oh no," Spike said, "Anything you tell him, you can tell me."

            "Spike, just wait for a moment," Angel said.     

            "Look Angel!" Spike shouted, "I'm not your bloody bitch! You can't just boss me around."

            "Spike, take the keys to the Ferrari and go for a drive," Angel said.

            "Are you bloody kidding?"

            "Do I look like I'm kidding?"

            Spike didn't answer. He was gone in the blink of an eye. Angel turned back to Hamilton.

            "What is it?" Angel asked.

            "I'd just like to inform you that a werewolf is lurking in town somewhere," Hamilton informed.

            "That's what you wanted to talk about?" Angel asked in disbelief.

            "Yes," Hamilton replied.

            "I let Spike drive the Ferrari for nothing!" Angel shouted.

            He threw his hands up in the air as he walked back towards his office. This day was not going well at all.

Los Angeles suburbs:

            "I still can't believe I let Spike drive the Ferrari," Angel murmured as he walked down the dimly-lit street.

            Although he was quite pissed at Hamilton, he still had work to do. The whole protect the helpless deal. It had been a while since he'd fought a werewolf though. And werewolves were always fun to fight with.

            He turned a corner and saw a young woman walking alone. This wasn't the most brilliant thing in the world to do. There were vampires and demons and werewolves out at night. And this woman didn't look like she could fight any of them.

            Speaking of werewolves, one leaped out of the bushes behind the woman. Angel saw this and immediately took off at full speed towards the woman. But it was too late. The werewolf knocked her to the ground. It stepped on her back, pinning her down. It moved its mouth in and sunk its wolf teeth into the woman's side. She screamed in pain.

            Angel reached the scene and tackled the werewolf to the ground. It turned and bared its teeth at him and then attempted to bite him. Angel punched it in the face, putting it out of the fight for a short time.

            "Are you all right?" Angel asked, coming to the woman's aid.

            The young woman rolled over onto her side and looked up at him. She smiled faintly. Angel held out his hand and she took it. He helped her to his feet.

            "What is that thing?" she asked.

            "It's a werewolf," he replied.

            "You've got to be kidding me!" she exclaimed.

            "I'm not," he said, "But you must be in a bit of pain with that bite."

            "It hurts a little," she said.

            "I hate to tell you this," he began, "but…"

            Angel was cut off when the werewolf jumped on his back. It began thrashing its teeth into his neck. Angel growled in pain. His face began to transform. His brow pulled back and his fangs became visible.

            He was pissed now. He reached up and flipped the werewolf off of his back. The werewolf got up and came at him again. Angel grabbed its jaws as it attempted to bite him. It thrashed its head and broke Angel's grip, then tackled him to the ground. It tried to bite him in the face, but Angel was able to hold it back.

            Within moments, Angel had thrown the werewolf back and was now on his feet once again. The werewolf leapt at him, but Angel grabbed its jaws. In one swift motion, he snapped its neck. The creature fell to the ground, dead.

            As he turned to face the woman, his face transformed back to normal. He gave her a slight smile. She stared at him in shock.

            "As I was saying," Angel began, "I'm afraid to tell you this, but you're a werewolf now."

            "What?" she questioned.

            "When a werewolf bits someone, that person will become a werewolf. And in that case, you are that person."

            "You've got to be kidding me!" she exclaimed.

            "I'm not," he replied, "I have to tell you though; you need to be locked away for three days every month."

            "Why?"

            "So that you don't harm anyone while you're a werewolf."

            "I would never do that."

            "It's much more difficult than that," he informed, "You have none of your human senses. The werewolf's instincts take over and you have no control."

            "I don't believe this," she replied, "This is ridiculous."

            "Look…umm…what did you say your name was?" he asked.

            "I didn't," she replied, "Its Nina."

            "Nina, you have to trust me on this one."

            "Why should I?" she asked, "I mean, come on, I don't even know you."

            "I'll let you in on my past later. Right now, you have to come with me," he informed.

Hours Later, Wolfram and Hart:

            "Do you mind telling me what you turned into back there?" Nina asked.

            "I'm a vampire," Angel replied.

            "No way," she replied.

            "The name's Angel," he said, "I'm the CEO of this place."

            "I noticed your name on the door to your office," she replied.

            "Oh."

            Angel was seated at his desk. Nina sat in a seat right in front. They had been at Wolfram and Hart for a few hours now. Angel had showed her around the building and they ended up in his office.

            "Aren't vampires supposed to be evil and kill me?" she questioned.

            "Yes."

            "Well then why didn't you kill me?" she asked.

            "I'm a good vampire."

            "Someone needs to pinch me. I'm definitely dreaming!"

            "No you're not. Just relax and listen to me. I'm a vampire with a soul. I was cursed with one over a hundred years ago. I spent decades sulking in alleys, but someone came along and boosted my spirits. I decided to stop wasting my life and try to make a difference."

            "That's very…interesting?" Nina said, very unsure of what to say.

            Just then the door to the office burst open. Spike strolled casually in, his leather duster blowing behind him.

            "Angel!" Spike called.

            "I'm right here, Spike," Angel replied, "You don't have to yell."

            "Right," he replied, "The Ferrari kind of got a little dent. But don't worry about it. I'll have it fixed right up in no time."

            "What did you do?" Angel questioned, glaring at the bleach-blonde.

            "I didn't do anything," Spike replied, "It was this old git. She cut me off and I kind of crashed into a telephone pole."

            "You crashed because of an old woman?" Angel asked, trying to hold back his laughter.

            "That's what I bloody said, didn't I?" Spike said, "And what the bloody hell is so funny?"

            "Nothing," Angel replied.

            Nina just sat there. She was confused with this whole banter between the two men. She figured that this 'Spike' person was one of Angel's employees.

            "You know what, I'm not going to stand around and let you poke fun at me!" Spike shouted in anger.

            He turned and stormed out of the office. Angel turned back to Nina and gave her another quick smile.

            "Sorry about that," Angel said, "That would be Spike. He's my…umm…actually I'm not sure what he does here."

            "Okay?" Nina replied, confused beyond belief.

            "Anyways, back to business," Angel said, "I'm going to need you to sign here."

            "Why?" she asked.

            "It's just an agreement saying that you are being held in our containment rooms for a few nights. You know, just so they don't kill you."

            "What?"

            "Nevermind. Forget I ever said that."

            "I'm not staying in a containment room," she said, "Is that just another name for a jail cell?"

That Evening:

            The sun was beginning to set as Nina walked through the building. Angel had showed her where the containment rooms were earlier in the day. She wasn't too pleased, but she knew it was the right thing.

            As she walked, her thoughts drifted to Angel. He was a peculiar man, but very handsome and very nice. The more she thought about him, the more she liked the idea of having to come back to Wolfram and Hart every month. She would get to see him then.

            Just as she was in sight of the containment rooms, she began to feel very strange. Her arms began to itch a lot and her senses seemed heightened. When she glanced down at her arms, she saw that they were beginning to get hairy. She was starting to transform and she hadn't gotten into her room yet.

            She took off at full speed. Just as she was about to reach the containment room area, she ran smack into the bleach-blonde man from before. Nina toppled over and landed on her butt.

            "Sorry 'bout that, little bit," Spike said, lending out a hand.

            As she took his hand, he jumped back.

            "What the bloody hell!" he shouted.

            Nina didn't respond. She couldn't talk as her transformation continued. Within moments, she was completely a werewolf. Spike was freaked out by this. He'd never seen a werewolf before. He slowly began to back away from her.

            "I don't want to hurt you, bit," he said, still backing away.

            Nina growled at him, causing him to back up much faster. She could sense his fear. That was one instinct that the werewolf transformation came with, along with many others. The fear made her want to kill him. Her instincts told her to attack, so she did.

            She leapt at Spike. He saw it coming and moved out of the way. Nina landed on her feet and turned to attack again. She ran full speed at him, bearing her teeth and growling. As she leapt, Spike grabbed her by the neck and swung her into the wall. She whimpered but quickly rose to feet.

            "I never said that I wouldn't hurt you though," he said.

            She charged once again. This time, Spike swung his fist and hit her in the side of her face. She stumbled, but turned and bit his arm.

            "Bloody hell!" he shouted in pain, "That hurt!"

            As he turned to face her, he vamped out. The werewolf sensed no fear in him now, but that didn't matter. All that matter was that he was dead. She leapt at him once more and this time she was successful. She knocked him to the ground and proceeded to shred up his chest.

            Spike wasn't about to take that though. He grabbed the werewolf by the neck and tossed her over top of him. He quickly jumped to his feet and ran at her. He gave the wolf a few punched to the jaw, and then kicked her into the wall.

            As she slowly rose to her feet, Spike picked her up and flipped her over his shoulders. She flew into the wall, shattering it. Spike caught a splintered piece of wood and walked over to the werewolf. It seemed all too familiar to him. In fact, it had happened to him the day before with that new liaison guy. He brought the stake down, just millimeters from the werewolf's heart.

           "Now I know you're just a pretty little lady," Spike began, "But we can't have a werewolf running around the offices, now can we?"

            He was just about to thrust the stake into its heart when he was tackled to the ground. He quickly recovered and was very pissed. That liaison guy was really starting to bug him. He looked back towards the wolf.

            "Angel?" he questioned.

            Angel looked up from the werewolf. He was checking to see if she was still alive.

            "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" Spike demanded.

            "Stopping you from killing her," Angel replied.

            "Why, so the bloody bastard can roam around the offices killing everyone?"

            "She's human, Spike. You can't just go around killing innocent humans."

            "That's innocent?" he asked, pointing to the creature.

            "I'll explain later," he replied, "Just help me get her into one of the containment cells."

The Next Morning, Angel's office:

            "So her name is Nina?" Spike asked.

            "Yeah," Angel replied, "She was bitten by a werewolf the other night. I couldn't save her."

            "And now you're taking her in as a pet to make up for it?" Spike questioned.

            "Shut up!" Angel shouted.

            Spike and Angel had decided to meet the next morning. They were both exhausted after carrying Nina into the cell and decided to call it a night. Now they were seated in his office, discussing the whole thing.

            "She's a really nice woman once you get to know her," Angel informed.

            "I thought you couldn't do that whole happiness thing," Spike said.

            "Not that way!" Angel shouted, "Just talking."

            "Oh, right."

            "Is that all you think about?" Angel questioned.

            Spike didn't answer that question for Nina had just entered the office.

            "What happened last night?" Nina asked.

            "You and me had a go," Spike responded.

            "We had sex?" Nina questioned, shocked.

            "See, I'm not the only one," Spike said, turning to Angel.

            Angel glared at him.

            "We got in a fight," Spike replied, trying to sound as American as possible.

            "Oh okay."

            "Nina, this is Spike," Angel introduced, "Spike, this is Nina."

            "Nice to meet you," Spike said.

            "Hi," she replied.

            "Spike, I'd like to talk to Nina alone."

            "No. Anything you can say to her, you can say to me too."

            "I'll let you drive the Porsche," Angel said, waving the keys.

            "All right," Spike said, grabbing the keys, "I'll see you later."

            "Don't crash this one!" Angel called.

            It was too late though. Spike was already out of the office. Angel rolled his eyes and sighed.

            "He was a little to excited," Nina said.

            "You'll get used to him," Angel replied, "Well you'll have to if you're going to be hanging around here."

            "What are you trying to say?" Nina asked.

            "How would you like to work for Wolfram and Hart?" Angel asked.

            Nina was taken aback. She didn't expect an upfront offer, let alone an offer at all. But it was impossible for her to refuse. She desperately needed money right now and this seemed the best opportunity to get some. Plus she'd get to see Angel every day now.

            "I'd love to!" she exclaimed, smiling.

            "Great," Angel said, "We'll talk details over lunch."


	3. Aiding a Friend: Episode 3

Aiding a Friend

Episode 3

Kenya, Africa:

            Africa was a beautiful place. The landscape was gorgeous and the animals were amazing. The climate was pretty nice as well. Buffy had loved it there so far. She had come to seek answers, but had gotten side tracked and decided to check out the tourist spots. That wasn't a bad idea at all.

            But after a week or so of touring, she decided to get back on track. She needed some answers. To tell the truth, she had no idea where to go to get them. Nothing on her tours provided a lead.

            She had left her hotel rather late and walked out into the streets of the small town that she was staying in. The place was bustling with activity; there were people everywhere. As she walked around, it felt as if someone was following her. She turned and glanced behind her. There was no one there that looked suspicious.

            She continued wandering around, looking for someone to point her in the right direction. But it still seemed as if someone was following her. She noticed a small alley up ahead and skillfully disappeared into it.

            A man cautiously walked faster to keep up with her. He failed, however, and lost her. As he passed by the alley, hands grabbed his shirt and yanked him in. The next thing he knew was that he was on his back on the ground.

            "Why are you following me?" she questioned, stepping out of the shadows.

            "What are you talking about?" the man asked.

            "Don't play dumb with me!" Buffy shouted, kicking him in the ribs, "Who sent you?"

            The man didn't reply. He was horrified. How could an ordinary man take on a slayer? Buffy bent down and grabbed his collar. She pulled him to his feet and then gave him a quick jab to the face. He stumbled backwards, clutching his face. His nose was now bleeding.

            "Who sent you?" she questioned once again.

            "I can't disclose that information to you," he replied, removing his hands from his face.

            "Well then I guess I'll have to settle for causing you pain," she told him.

            She gave him a quick kick to the face. Then she followed up with a side kick to the ribs. The man gasped in pain. Buffy punched him in the face again, breaking his jaw. The man fell to the ground, wincing in pain.

            When Buffy realized that he wasn't getting up anytime soon, she turned and left the alley. The man just lay on the ground, unable to move.

Wolfram and Hart, days later:

            "Angel, you have a call on line 1," Harmony's voice came through the PA.

            Angel picked up the phone and pressed the button for line 1. He heard Harmony hang up the phone. After a short conversation, he hung up the phone. He didn't look to happy.

            Just then, Spike burst in through the doors. He looked pissed and Angel hadn't a clue as to why.

            "You've been spying on Buffy!" he shouted in anger.

            "What?" Angel questioned, "How do you know that?"

            "I heard the whole thing!" Spike yelled.

            "You were listening in on my conversation?" Angel questioned, becoming angry.

            "Well, what'd you think?" Spike asked, "It's not like I have special mind reading powers or anything."

            "That's the last straw!" Angel shouted.

            "What?"          

            "Get out of here!" Angel shouted.

            "Excuse me?" asked a familiar voice.

            Angel and Spike stopped their conversations and turned towards the door. Standing the doorway was none other than Rupert Giles.

            "Giles, is that you?" Angel asked.

            "Yes, it is," he replied.

            "What are you doing here?" Angel questioned.

            "It's a long story," he said.

            "Care to share, mate?" Spike asked.    

            "Why don't we all sit down first?" Angel suggested.

            Spike and Giles took the seats around the desk, while Angel sat at his desk. A look of concern spread across the older man's face.

            "I've been in England for the past few weeks, trying to rebuild the Watcher's Council," Giles began.

            "For what purpose?" Angel asked.

            "I planned to have the new Watcher's Council take in and train ordinary citizens to fight the forces of darkness," he went on.

            "So basically like a government agency?" Angel questioned.

            "More or less," he replied, "Anyway, I was trying to round up any remaining Council members. But they were either dead or weren't interested."

             "That's a shame," Angel replied.

            "But that isn't the real reason I'm here," he went on, "I've lost an artifact and I need your help in retrieving it."

            "Why do you need our help?" Spike asked.

            "He's right," Angel added, "The police are good at that kind of stuff."

            "The police can't help me with my search," Giles told them, "The artifact was stolen by a demon."

            "Well why didn't you say so in the first place?" Spike asked.

            "What kind of demon is it?" Angel asked.

            "An Aldinach demon," Giles replied.

            "What the bloody hell is that?" Spike asked.

            "I've never heard of it before," Angel told him.

            "I didn't either until I looked it up," Giles said, "It's a demon that causes natural disasters."

            "So we're off to London then?" Angel asked.

            "No, the demon is here in LA," Giles replied, "I was here retrieving the artifact when I was attacked and it was taken from my possession."

            "Enough chit-chat," Spike said, "We've got a demon to find."

            "Giles, feel free to roam the building," Angel told him.

Downtown Los Angeles:

            "Where the bloody hell are we going to find this demon?" Spike asked.

            "I'm not sure," Angel answered, "But we've got the whole night to try and find it."

            "You ponce!" Spike shouted, "We already wasted half the night!"

            Spike and Angel had already checked out some of the city's clubs and bars. Their efforts had proved futile so far. They were speeding down the street in Angel's Porsche. Angel seemed to prefer demon hunting in a car more than demon hunting on foot from the old days.

            "I'm bored," Spike said.

            "Well entertain yourself somehow," Angel told him.

            "I figured this would be fun," Spike began, "You know, the old demon hunting thing. But this is just boring. It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack."

            "Look, it'll be fun once we find this thing," Angel responded.

            "What are we looking for anyway?" Spike questioned.

            "To tell you the truth, I'm not sure. Giles didn't tell us how we'd know if we saw the demon."

            "Oh goodie," Spike said, "We're on a wild goose chase."

            Suddenly someone was thrown into the street, right in front of the car. Angel slammed on the brakes and spun the wheel. The car turned and ran right up the curb, crashing into a small window shop. Glass went everywhere as the car hit.

            "Bloody hell," Spike mumbled.

            He pushed away some bricks that had crashed through the windshield. He reached for the door handle and then pushed the door open. The car was totaled. The crashed had broken every window and there were massive dents all over. As he turned to walk out of the crash area, Angel's door opened and the other vampire climbed out.

            "Well, you can't be angry for me crashing the Ferrari anymore," Spike said.

            "Shut up," Angel mumbled, coming towards him.

            The two vampires walked out of the store and back onto the street. Angel turned and glanced back at the store.

            "Oh that's definitely coming out of my paycheck," he mumbled under his breath.

            "Well there's where that person came from," Spike said, pointing across the street.

            Angel turned and looked in the direction that Spike was pointing. Entering an alley was a fairly large demon. As the two crossed the street, Angel rushed to the man's side. He helped the man up and walked him to the sidewalk. The man was very grateful.

           Spike reached the other side and stopped at the entrance to the alley. Angel quickly caught up and stood next to him.

            "Ready?" Angel asked.

            "Ready," he replied.

            The two cautiously entered the alley. Angel was in front, while Spike brought up the rear. The alley was covered in shadows. A human would be unable to see in the darkness, but lucky for them, they weren't human.

            Just as the entered the alley, the demon charged, knocking them both over. Angel was the first to his feet. He gave the demon a few punches to the face. The punches seemed ineffective, however, and the demon kicked him in the chest. Angel hit the side of the building and collapsed to the ground.

            Spike, seeing this, rose to his feet and jumped onto the demon's back. He wrapped his arms around its head, preventing it from seeing. Then he began kicking it in the sides. After a few moments, Angel recovers and noticed Spike fighting the demon. He stands up and watched, waiting for the right moment to attack.

            The demon went on a rampage, attempting to throw Spike off its back. During that, it destroyed half the walls of the two buildings. The demon finally grabbed Spike by neck and tossed him off. Spike hit the fence in the back of the alley and went right through it.

            "Oh bugger," he mumbled, standing up.

            Lucky for him, none of the broken pieces of wood had staked him. Angel took the demon's attack on Spike to his advantage and kicked it in the chest. The demon stumbled backwards, but quickly came at him again. The demon grabbed Angel by his neck and tossed him towards the fence. Angel hit Spike and both of them fell over.

            "Get the bloody hell off of me!" Spike shouted.

            "It's not like I purposely fell on you," Angel said.

            The two got up and stood ready for battle. The demon just glared at them.

            "Why hasn't it been using its power?" Angel asked in a quiet voice.

            "What power would that be, mate?" Spike questioned.

            "It can cause natural disasters," Angel whispered back.

            "Right…er…I'm not sure," Spike replied, "But that's a good thing, right?"

            "Definitely."

            Angel and Spike ran towards the demon, going on either side of the thing. The Aldinach demon was very confused, unsure of which vampire to attack. Both vampires gave the demon a sharp kick in the ribs, causing some to break. The demon howled in pain. Angel then gave it a quick kick to the chest, causing it to stumble backwards to the ground.

            As it tried to get up, Spike appeared over it, holding a large pipe in his hand. He was ready to stab it into the demon if it attempted to get up.

            "Spike, where'd you get that?" Angel questioned.

            "It was lying on the ground on the other side of that wooden fence," Spike replied.

            "Where's the artifact?" Angel asked, turning his attention towards the demon.

            The demon stared at him for a second, looking confused. It didn't answer him.

            "Maybe it doesn't speak our language," Spike suggested.

            "Oh it'll speak our language if it wants to live," Angel said, kicking in the ribs again.

            The demon winced in pain, but still didn't answer.

            "Where is it?" Angel asked, "Talk or Spike here will kill you."

            "You're too late," the Aldinach demon replied, finally talking.

            "What do you mean, too late?" Angel questioned.

            "I've already delivered it to my master," it informed, "He was very pleased with my accomplishment this evening."

            Angel didn't look too happy with that answer. He grabbed the pipe out of Spike's grip and raised it above the demon's chest.

            "Who's your master?" Angel asked, obviously angry.

            "Like I'd tell you, vampire," the demon retorted.

            Angel gripped the pipe tightly and slammed it down in the demon's body. The pipe, although not sharp, pierced the demon's flesh. It screamed loudly in pain.

            "Who do you work for?" Angel questioned once again.

            "He goes by the name Archduke Sebassis," the demon replied.

            "Doesn't ring a bell," Angel replied, "I sure hope you aren't lying."

            "What is the artifact?" Spike asked.

            "I'm not sure," the demon told him, "The Archduke just said he needed it to take out someone important. I'm not sure who though."

            "Who is this Archduke Sebassis?" Angel asked.

            "He's very high in our demon nobility. He commands a lot of respect from all other demons," it continued.

            "Then how come I've never heard of him?" Spike asked.

            "Be quiet," Angel said to Spike.

            "Where does the Archduke live?" Spike asked the demon.

            "In town," it replied, "A large mansion. You can't miss it."

            "Well looks like we've got another demon to go after," Angel said to Spike.

            "You won't be getting in their alive," the demon informed, "The Archduke commands many legions of demons. You'd be crushed before you even entered his yard."

            "So in other words you're telling us that we're screwed," Spike said.

            "Yes, exactly," the demon answered, nodding his head.

            "Great!" Angel shouted, "What are we going to tell Giles?"

Wolfram and Hart, Angel's Office:

            "You failed at retrieving the artifact?" Giles questioned.

            "We were too late," Angel replied, "The Aldinach demon had already delivered it to his master."

            Angel and Spike had killed the Aldinach demon after getting some information out of it. Afterwards, they returned to Wolfram and Hart to deliver the bad news to Giles.

            "We did get some information out of him," Spike added.

            "What kind of information?" Giles asked.

            "His master, Archduke Sebassis, needs the artifact to get rid of someone," Angel told him.

            "Plus, he lives in a big mansion somewhere in Los Angeles," Spike put in.

            "Archduke Sebassis…hmm," Giles mumbled under his breath, "That name sounds familiar."

            Giles sat for a few moments. He was trying to remember where he'd heard that name from.

            "I've heard that name before, but I can't remember what he is," Giles said.

            "The Aldinach demon also told us that the Archduke is high up in demon nobility," Angel informed, "I've never even knew there was such a thing."

            "Why didn't you go after him?" Giles asked.

            Spike started to laugh. Giles was confused as to why the bleach-blonde vampire was laughing.

            "What's so funny?" Giles questioned.

            "You think we'd break into the house of a demon noble?" Spike asked, "I don't think so. You know, I'd like to stay undead for many more years."

            "Giles, the Archduke commands legions of demons," Angel informed, "The Aldinach demon told us that we'd be dead before we made it into the yard."

            "Oh…" Giles responded.

            "Looks like your artifact is as good as gone," Spike said.

            "Angel, do you have any books by which I could look this Archduke up?" Giles asked.

            "Yeah, they're in Wesley's old office," Angel replied.

            Angel stopped for a second. He seemed to be concocting something in his mind. Wesley was a watcher and so was Giles. It made perfect sense.

            "Giles, how would you like a job here?" Angel asked.

            "Pardon me?"

            "I'm offering you Wesley's old position in the mystics department," Angel said, "What do you say?"

            "Work at a law firm," Giles said.

            "Is that a yes?" Angel asked.

            "I guess so," Giles responded.

            "Wait a minute!" Spike shouted, "You're giving the old Watcher a job, but you won't give me one?"

            "You can start whenever you're ready," Angel told Giles, ignoring Spike.


	4. The Past Returns: Episode 4

The Past Returns

Episode 4

Rome, Italy, 1894:

            Angelus strolled down the dark street. He'd just enjoyed his first good kill since arriving in Rome a few days ago. His first victim had been a young woman that he'd met while exiting a bar. He had taken her into a nearby alley and began kissing her. Eventually, he vamped out and sunk his fangs deep into the woman's neck.

            As he walked away from the alley, he wiped the drops of blood from his chin. He wanted to find Spike and tell him of his first kill. The two, Spike and Angelus, had come to Rome with Drusilla and Darla. They had traveled everywhere together, hunting off the humans.

            "Spike!" Angelus called as he noticed Spike entering the building.

            The four vampires had found a nice building to stay in while in Rome. The owner and the guests were oblivious to the fact that four vampires were staying there. Angelus knew that he would kill everyone there before the week was out.

            "Ah…Angelus," Spike said, coming back out of the doorway.

            "I caught you just in the knick of time," Angelus said, "I killed my first girl today."

            "That's great," Spike replied, "I got a few myself. There were delicious little ones."

            "So where are you headed?" Angelus asked.

            "Back up to spend some of my time with Dru," Spike answered.

            "Well then let's both go up and surprise the girls," Angelus said.

            The two vampires walked into the building. Angelus smirked at the owner as they walked by. As Spike pulled open the door to their room, he stared in horror. There lay Drusilla in bed with another man.

            "Bloody hell!" Spike shouted in rage.

            He stormed in and stood in the middle of the room. Angelus walked in after him. He was chuckling to himself. The other man climbed out of the bed and stood in front of Spike, wrapped in sheets. He quickly put his clothes back on.

            "Who the bloody hell are you and what the bloody hell do you think you are doing to my woman?" Spike shouted in rage.

            The man didn't look frightened at all. He just smirked at the vampire. Spike was pissed. He was going to wipe the smirk right off the man's face…by killing him. He pulled back his fist and punched the man in the jaw. The man didn't flinch at all. He retaliated with a punch of his own.

            The blow sent Spike flying backwards. He landed on his back on the floor. Angelus just burst out laughing at Spike's misfortune. Spike slowly rose to his feet. The man strolled right by him and closed the door on his way out.

            Spike just stood there, staring at Drusilla. She just smiled and started dancing around the room in the sheets.

            "What do you think you are doing?" Spike questioned, angry.

            "I was having some fun while you were out, Spikey," Dru replied, "It was such fun! He has such…"

            "Enough!" Spike shouted, "I don't want to hear it!"

            Darla came walking into the room. She was dressed in a silky gown.

            "What's all the yelling about?" she asked.

            "Spike just caught Dru shagging another bloke," Angelus told her.

            "I cannot believe you just shagged another bloke, Dru!" Spike shouted.

            "He was just so tempting. I couldn't resist him," Dru replied, "Just the things he says and does. He's so…"

            "Magnificent," Darla added.

            "What?" Angelus asked in shock.

            "Oh what fun he was," Darla said.

            "You slept with him too?" Angelus asked her.

            "Of course!" she exclaimed, "Who could resist?"

            Angelus spun around and stormed off towards the door. He was pissed. It was time for a little vengeance.

            "Where are you going, darling?" Darla asked.

            "Out for a kill," Angelus replied, "Coming Spike?"

            Spike glared at Drusilla. Then he turned and headed out the door after Spike.

            "Just don't bother the Immortal!" Darla called, "He's got some busy work to do!"

            Angelus smirked as he closed the door. He had gotten the right information out of her.

            "What are we doing?" Spike questioned.

            "Getting revenge," Angelus replied.

            "But we don't even know what the bloke's name is," Spike said.

            "It's the Immortal."

Wolfram and Hart, Angel's Office, Present Day:

            "The Immortal," Angel said.

            "I hate that name," Spike said, "Every time I hear it, I think back to that night."

            "The night that he humiliated us," Angel added.

            "The night that he took our women from us," Spike went on, "We should have killed him when we caught him."

            "He was a powerful creature," Angel said, "Remember he knocked you around a bit."

            "How could I forget?" Spike asked.

            Angel and Spike were seated in Angel's office. Hamilton had delivered a note to Angel informing him that an old friend was in town. Angel wasn't too happy to hear the news.

            "Why would he be in town?" Angel asked.

            "Maybe he's allied with that Sebassis character," Spike said.

            "He might be, but I doubt it," Angel replied, "He was never big on working with demons."

            "Yeah, you're right," Spike said.

            "Well, looks like we got ourselves another mission on our hands," Angel said.

Wolfram and Hart Lobby:

            The elevator doors opened and Spike and Angel stepped into the lobby. They had to find the Immortal before he caused any trouble. They decided it best to leave Giles and Nina out of it. Angel told Spike that it wasn't the others' business; it was their grudge.

            "Is there a problem?" a familiar voice asked.

            Angel stopped in his tracks. Giles must have seen them enter the elevator. Now he had some explaining to do. Angel spun around.

            "No, Spike and I were just going out to patrol," Angel replied. 

            "All right," Giles replied, "Be careful."

            As Angel turned around, he came face to face with someone totally unexpected. Both he and Spike had a look of shock on their faces.

"Angelus," The Immortal said, "It's so nice to see you again."

"It's Angel," he replied in a hostile voice.

"It has been quite a few years," the Immortal said.

"It has," Angel replied.

"What are you doing here?" Spike questioned, stepping forward.

"Ah, William the Bloody," the Immortal said, "You look great."

"Shut your bloody mouth!" Spike shouted.

"I suppose these hostile attitudes have to do with what I did to the two of you last time," the Immortal said.

            "Wow," Spike said sarcastically, "Good guess; you got it on the first try."

            "Be quiet, Spike," Angel said, "What are you doing here in LA?"

            "I hear that you have gained control of this place," he said, "I'm quite impressed."

            "And what's that have to do with you being here?" Angel asked.

            "I learned that all your colleagues were killed a few months ago," the Immortal said, "And I suppose you have some spots that need to be filled."

            "How did you learn about that?" Angel asked.

            "Word spreads quickly in the demon community," he replied.

            "Why would you want to work here?" Angel questioned.

            "This place has everything that a man could want," he answered.

            "You're no man," Giles said, stepping forward, between Spike and Angel.

            "You must be the Watcher," the Immortal said, "I've heard so much about you."

            Giles just glared at the vampire. He had heard about this legendary creature from his books, but he never thought he'd run into him. There was no way that the Immortal would work at Wolfram and Hart if he had anything to do with it. Giles knew it was some kind of trick.

            "We'll have to talk about this," Angel said, "Stop by tomorrow night and we'll let you know."

            "Okay," the Immortal replied, "I will be here."

            The vampire turned and walked out of the lobby. Angel and the others just stood there and watched him leave.

Angel's Office:

            "There's no way in bloody hell that he's working here!" Spike shouted.

            "And why not?" Angel asked.

            "Have you lost your mind?" Spike asked.

            "No," Angel replied, "I just think that having the Immortal work here wouldn't be that bad of an idea. He'd be a powerful asset to the team."

            "Angel, I smell trap all of this idea," Giles said, "He'll kill us all, first chance he gets."

            "And how can you even consider this?" Spike asked, "You remember what he did to us in Rome last time."

            "Yes, but I'm willing to forget the past in order to gain a powerful ally," Angel said.

            "You're crazy!" Spike shouted, "You might be able to look past what he did, but I can't."

            "He's a vampire, Angel," Giles said, "He can't be trusted."  
            "I'm a vampire," Angel replied, "And so is Spike."       

            "But we have souls," Spike said, "It's different."

            "He could be planning to take over Wolfram and Hart for his own purposes," Giles said.

            "He could be, he might not be," Angel said.

            "But the chance is there," Giles said, "Can we risk it?"

            "Are you willing to risk the life of your girlfriend?" Spike asked.

            "What are you talking about, Spike?" Angel asked.

            "Nina."

            "She's not my girlfriend!" Angel shouted.

            "You've gone out with her several times," Spike said, "How can you say that?"

            "Can we please get back on topic here?" Giles asked.

            "Right, sorry," Spike apologized.

            "The point is…are you willing to risk all our lives in order to allow this man to work here?" Giles asked.

            "Yes," Angel said.

            "Then your on your own here," Giles said.

            He stood up and left the office. Spike stood up as well.

            "Think about Nina," Spike said.

            With that, he turned and left the office. Angel just sat there alone. He was angry at the both of them. They were willing to give up the opportunity for a new ally. And he wasn't about to just pass it up.

Giles's Office:

            "You called for me?" Spike asked.

            "Yes," Giles replied, standing up from his chair, "Angel is making a big mistake."

            "I know," Spike replied.

            "We have to prevent the Immortal from being hired," Giles told him.

            "And how do you plan to do that?" Spike asked, "The last time I fought him, he whooped my ass."

            "You must keep a clear head," Giles said.

            "My head was clear," Spike said, "I was just pissed because he was sleeping with Dru."

            "Anger affects your performance," Giles said.

            "Oh, right," Spike said.

            "The Immortal is no ordinary vampire," Giles said.

            "What do you mean?" Spike asked.

            "He's compared to Dracula and the Master," Giles informed, "Except without all those powers. He's just very strong compared to a normal vampire."

            "Then how do you suggest I fight him?" Spike asked.

            "Who said anything about fighting him?" Giles questioned.

            "I did," Spike said, "I need to prove myself."    

            "I don't think it's such a good idea, Spike."

            "I don't care," Spike said, "I'm going to fight him whether you like it or not."

            "This might not scare him away though," Giles informed him.

            "It's worth a shot."

Downtown Los Angeles, the Next Night:

            Spike was hiding in an alley. He had caught up with the Immortal an hour ago and had been following him ever since. He'd discovered the Immortal's path and got ahead of him and hid in an alley that the Immortal would walk by shortly. Then Spike would jump out and attack him. It was a foolproof plan.

            He could smell the Immortal as he drew closer. The moment to ambush him would arise very soon. Just as he walked into view, Spike leapt from the alley and attacked. He tackled the Immortal to the ground. The Immortal tossed him off and both quickly rose to their feet, ready to fight.

            "William the Bloody?" the Immortal questioned.

            "That's right mate," Spike said.

            "What are you doing?" he asked.

            "I can't let you work at Wolfram and Hart," Spike replied.

            "And why not?" the Immortal asked.

            Spike didn't reply with words, but with a fist. The Immortal stumbled backwards as Spike's fist connected with his face. He quickly came to his senses and gave Spike a nice blow to the jaw. It didn't seem to faze Spike though, for he followed up with a front kick to the chest.

            The Immortal fell backwards on his back. He looked confused as to why Spike would fight him.

            "Why are you doing this?" the Immortal questioned.

            "First off, I hate your bloody Italian accent," Spike replied, "And second, you _slept_ with my woman!"

            "So you're still holding that against me?" the Immortal asked.

            "Of course," Spike answered.

            "You are pathetic," the Immortal said, kicked Spike in the chest.

            This distraction gave the Immortal time to stand up. He followed up the kick with several punches to the face. He then did a roundhouse kick that sent Spike flying into the side of a building.

            "You cannot defeat me," he told Spike, "I am the Immortal."

            "We'll see about that," Spike said, slowly standing.

            He charged the Immortal. Unfortunately, the Immortal was prepared. He grabbed Spike by the collar and swung him into the street. Spike landed on his side, wincing in pain. As he rose to his feet, he stared in horror at the headlights right in front of him.

            There wasn't enough time to get out of the way. The van smashed right into him, crushing him beneath its weight. The Immortal chuckled to himself as he saw Spike's body lying in the middle of the road. The pathetic vampire had failed miserably to kill him.

            He turned to the direction that Wolfram and Hart was. He would have no problem obtaining a job from Angel. It was cake. He knew that Angel wouldn't give up the opportunity to have a powerful alley. And that's what made him a fool. It would be his downfall.

            As he was about to walk away, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Wondering who it could be, he spun around. Spike's fist connected with his face.

            "Impossible!" the Immortal shouted, "You should be too weak to move."

            "Come on, mate," Spike said, "It takes a little move than a speeding van to kill me."

            Spike punched him a few more times in the face. Blood was now dripping from the Immortal's nose. Bruises were beginning to form on his face. The Immortal was definitely showing signs of weakening.

            With one final punch, Spike sent the Immortal to the ground. Spike stepped forward and stood over the Immortal.

            "Leave LA," Spike said.

            "No," the Immortal replied.

            "Leave LA now!" Spike demanded.

            He gave the Immortal a sharp kick to the side, cracking a few ribs. The Immortal winced in pain.

            "Not so immortal now, are we?" Spike questioned.

            "You have lost your only chance at having a powerful ally," the Immortal said, slowly rising to his feet, "When the time comes for the Senior Partners to crush you all, you will wish that you hadn't defeated me."

            "Shut your bloody mouth!" Spike said, punching him across the face.

            "I bid thee farewell," the Immortal said, turning and slowly walking away.

Wolfram and Hart: Angel's Office:

            "Maybe he decided to pass up the opportunity," Giles said, offering a suggestion.

            "Why would he do that when he asked to work here in the first place?" Angel questioned.

            "Well then, maybe he changed his mind," Giles said.

            Just then, Spike came limping into the office. His face was bloody and bruised, yet he looked happy.

            "What happened to you?" Angel asked.

            "Got in a bit of a tussle with…" Spike said.

            He didn't mention the name for Giles had glared at him.

            "With…?" Angel asked.

            "With…a…umm…gang of vampires," Spike lied.

            "Right," Angel said, not believing him.

            "There was a bunch of them," Spike said, "Like ten or so."

            "And would one of these vampires happen to have been the Immortal?" Angel questioned.

            "No," Spike replied quickly, "Why would you think that?"

            "No reason," Angel said, "Just that he hasn't showed up yet."

            "You know what!" Spike yelled, "I did get into a fight with him."

            A look of anger quickly spread across Angel's face. Giles was shocked that Spike actually told the truth.

            "And I whooped his bloody Italian arse too!" Spike shouted.

            With one swift move, Angel rose from his desk and tackled Spike to the ground.

            "Why would you do something like that?" Angel questioned, extremely pissed.

            "He'd betray us in an instant," Spike replied.

            Angel didn't respond to that comment. He just stood there, towering over Spike. It finally hit him. Spike and Giles had been right all along; the Immortal was evil and he would betray them.

            Angel turned and walked out of his office. Spike sat up and turned to watch him go. Giles turned and watched as well. Angel rode the elevator to the lobby and walked out onto the streets.

            "Where are you going?" someone asked.

            Angel turned and came face to face with Nina. She had a big smile on her face. She hadn't seen him all day and was finally glad to.

            "Out to clear my head," Angel replied, giving her a slight smile.

            "Can I come with?" she asked.

            "Sure."

            Nina came up beside Angel and the two walked off into the night; Angel's arm around her waist.


	5. Circle of the Black Thorn: Episode 5

Circle of the Black Thorn

Episode 5

Unknown Location:

Six figures sat around a large rectangular table. All of them wore hooded cloaks that covered their faces. It seemed that they were at some sort of meeting, no doubt at secret one.

"The Goddess failed at destroying the two ensouled vampires and the slayer," one said.

"Yes, the Senior Partners were not too happy about that," a second replied, "They wanted all of them dead."

"Well we got most of them, at least," a third added.

"That's not good enough for them!" the first shouted, "They want all or nothing."

"They are pleased with the men that we sent to free the Goddess, however," a fourth said.

"No praise for them though," the second said, "Since she killed them."

"Enough talk of the Goddess!" the sixth shouted, "We have other matters to deal with, such as the former Watcher who now works in the offices."

"Yes," the fifth said, "Rupert Giles is a potential hazard. We assume that he already knows a lot about Wolfram and Hart and the Senior Partners."

"He isn't a major problem," the first said, "He'll be the easiest one to take out. The two vampires will be the most difficult."

"Yes," the fourth said, "They are not ones to give up easily."

"We'll figure something out," the sixth said.

Wolfram and Hart, a few days later:

Angel was bored. He had just finished looking through some important papers and was tired of sitting in his office. He wanted to go talk to Giles, but the two hadn't been on friendly terms since the incident involving the Immortal. Nina was off so he couldn't stop by and visit her either. So he decided to take a walk around the offices.

Upon exiting the elevator on the fourth floor, Angel heard a familiar voice. He walked by the room where he heard the voice. The door was cracked up just a little, so Angel peeked inside. Hamilton was sitting at a desk, talking on the phone. Angel was just about to continue on his walk when he caught an interesting piece of information.

"The meeting is tonight at 11:00 sharp," Hamilton said, "I expect that you'll be there?"

That immediately caught Angel's attention. He wondered who Hamilton was talking to and what meeting he was talking about.

"I must call the other Black Thorn members and find out if they'll show up tonight," he continued.

Angel was really interested now. He wanted to know what the Black Thorn was.

"No, Angel hasn't any idea about anything," Hamilton replied, "He has no idea who we are or what we do. That stupid vampire is completely oblivious to everything that is going on around him."

Hamilton stopped talking for a moment. He was listening to whoever was on the other line.

"Yes. Last week the Immortal tried to ruin everything," Hamilton answered, "Angel was going to let him work here. Fortunately for us, that blonde vampire got rid of him for us. The Watcher knows nothing either. He's as oblivious as Angel is."

This got Angel's attention now. Whoever the other person was, they knew everything that had been going on as of late. It was really strange. Angel started to wonder is this group was spying on him and the others.

"All right, Izzy," Hamilton said, "I must be off. It's time to check on Angel. I'll see you tonight."

That was Angel's cue to leave. He turned and walked off down the hallway. Just as he turned the corner, the office door opened and Hamilton strolled off in the opposite direction.

Angel's Office:

Angel sat at his desk, wondering what the hell he had just heard. This Black Thorn group had to be spying on them. There was no other way they could know all that had gone on in the past few weeks.

Another thing he wondered was who Izzy was. There was no one around the office that went by the name of Izzy. Or was there? He began to sift through the faces of employees and clients. After a few moments, he remembered someone with the name Izzy. He was a demon client that looked very similar to devil. He had seen the demon on a few occasions around the office.

So that made two members of this group. There was definitely more though. Angel had no clue as to who else they could be. He guessed that only time would tell. For now, he'd have to look up information on this group called the Black Thorn.

Just as he reached for a book, the door to his office swung open. Angel looked up to see Hamilton come strolling in.

"Angel, how are you doing?" Hamilton asked.

Angel didn't know how to react. He wanted to pounce on the man and squeeze information out of him. However, he knew that it would never work. He had seen the man beat Spike badly. Besides, he didn't feel like getting into a fight then.

"I'm doing fine," Angel replied, unsure of what to say.

"I'm happy to report that all of our clients seemed to be quite satisfied at the moment. Everything is calm at the moment," Hamilton informed.

"Thanks for the info," Angel said.

"Well have a nice day, Angel," Hamilton said as he walked out of the office. He closed the door behind him.

Angel rolled his eyes. This guy was a fake and Angel knew it. He was just toying with Angel's mind. Hamilton would get what was coming to him.

He reached over and picked up the book that he was going after before. He pulled it off the shelf and opened it on the desk in front of him. The pages were completely blank. Good thing Angel knew how to use it.

"Black Thorn," he said.

Just then the pages filled with text. At the top of the page were the words: **Circle of the Black Thorn** in bold. Underneath the title was a picture of a crown of thorns. This was exactly what Angel was looking for. He glanced down and slowly read the text.

Spike's Apartment, That Night:

Angel, Spike, Giles, and Nina were all situated in Spike's apartment. Angel had called all of them there after reading about the Circle of the Black Thorn. He had thought it best to share all this information with them.

"Why did you call us here in the middle of the night, Angel?" Giles questioned, slightly disturbed.

"I've discovered some shocking information today," he replied.

"Really, what is it?" Spike asked, "Did you finally realize what a ponce you are?"

"Real funny, Spike," Angel said, glaring at the other vampire, "This is serious though."

Giles didn't say anything. He was still angry over Angel's stubbornness to hire the Immortal. He didn't feel like being here, listening to Angel's talk. He'd rather be in bed, sleeping.

"I overheard Hamilton talking to some demon this afternoon," Angel began.

"So what's your point?" Spike asked, "Probably one of your clients."

"Spike, just shut up and let him finish," Nina said.

Spike rolled his eyes. He didn't like the young girl too much. She always seemed to be in the way. Plus she was just a civilian. Having her around was dangerous.

"He was talking to a demon about a group called the Circle of the Black Thorn," he went on, "This group seems to know everything that has been going on lately. They know about all four of us and everything that's been going on here."

Giles looked intrigued now. Angel had obviously gotten his attention. The name, the Circle of the Black Thorn, sounded somewhat familiar. However he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"After listening to Hamilton's conversation, I looked up any information that I could find about it. And check this out, the Circle of the Black Thorn is a secret demon organization."

"I've never head of them," Spike said.

"Didn't you just hear?" Nina asked, "He said it was a secret organization."

"Oh…right," Spike said, "I'll be quiet now."

"They're a secret organization set up by the Senior Partners to carry out their plans in this dimension. Their main goal is to create all the apocalypses that happen here on earth."

"You mean they are responsible for releasing the First Evil, and the Goddess?" Giles asked.

"I think so," Angel replied.

"That's insane!" Spike shouted, "They are insane."

"Not insane," Angel said, "All powerful."

"Who are the members of this secret organization?" Giles questioned.

"I'm not a hundred percent sure of all of them, but I did come across quite a few names," Angel replied, "There were a bunch listed, but I've only heard of a few. There's a devil demon called Izzy, a group of demons known as the Fell Brethren, Senator Brucker, Cyrus Vail, Archduke Sebassis, and our good friend Hamilton."

"Wait, the Senator of California is a demon?" Nina asked.

"'Fraid so," Angel replied.

"That bastard," Spike mumbled.

"What?" Angel questioned.

"That bastard Hamilton!" he exclaimed, "I should have known something was up that first time he came here. There was something about him that gave off a sense of power."

"I've heard of this group before," Giles said, "They are indeed a very powerful group if they create the apocalypses."

"And they must be stopped," Angel said, "We have to put an end to this organization."

"And how do you plan to do that?" Nina asked.

"Simple," he replied, "We take them out one by one. We need to separate one from the others and kill them."

"Why should we trust you?" Giles asked.

"Because you have to if you want to get through this alive," Angel told him.

"He's right," Spike said, "Why should we trust you? You could be leading us into a trap. You might be setting us up, trying to kill us, like you did the last time."

"Last time?" Angel questioned.

"With the whole Immortal thing," Spike said.

"You were too stubborn to realize the amount of danger you could have put us in by hiring that creature," Giles added, "We would all be dead now."

Angel didn't know what to say. He knew that the two of them were angry with him over his choices, but he didn't think that they'd hold a grudge against him.

"Look, I know I almost made a stupid mistake," Angel said, "I just wasn't thinking right. I was too concerned with gaining a powerful ally that I didn't care who it was. I should have listened to both of you."

"So you were wrong?" Spike questioned.

"I was wrong. I made a poor decision," he told them, "But I want to have your trust again. I need all three of you. I can't do this alone. I need your help. Will you help me defeat the Circle of the Black Thorn?"

Spike, Giles, and Nina looked at him. Nina had no clue what had happened, so she volunteered immediately. Spike and Giles were a little hesitant. Angel hoped that he could earn their trust again.

"I trust you, Angel," Giles said, finally speaking up, "Just think more next time."

"Yes, Giles."

"I'm in too," Spike said, "But on one condition."

"What's that, Spike?"

"You have to give me a job. I want one of those offices," he told Angel, "And I want my name on the door."

"All right, deal," Angel said.

"And I want my own car," he continued, "And not a crappy one that you buy off the street. I want one of the ones in the garage downstairs; one of those nice ones."

"Fine."

"Oh and I want you to forgive all my debts, meaning all damage that I did to your cars," he continued.

"Now that's pushing it," Angel said.

"Then I'm not in," he said.

Giles glared at the blonde haired vampire. Spike looked back at him confused.

"Fine!" he exclaimed, "I'm in."

"All right, good," Angel said, "So everyone's okay with the plan?"

"Yeah," said Nina.

"Yes," Giles replied.

"Sure, whatever," Spike said, "I just want to kill something."

Eventually everyone left Spike's apartment. Giles went first, followed by Nina, who waited outside for Angel to walk her home. Angel turned to walk out the door when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to face Spike.

"I still want that office," Spike said, "First thing tomorrow morning. Make sure they're the good letters too. I don't want them falling off."

"Goodnight, Spike," Angel said, closing the door in his face.

Wolfram and Hart, the Next Night:

Spike was pleased. Angel had kept his word and given him his office. Spike was actually surprised. He didn't think that Angel would have actually given him one. Spike enjoyed having an office so much that he had been in it all day and most of the night.

It was getting late and he decided that it was time to head back to his apartment. This way, he wouldn't run the risk of getting caught outside before dawn. He rose from his new desk and exited his office. As he walked out into the hallway, he heard talking.

Curious, he headed toward the direction of the voices. He walked down the hallway, listening attentively.

"Bringing Drusilla back would totally destroy Spike," someone said.

"It's been done already," the other said.

"Yes, but with Angel," the first voice said, "This time it will be with the other. Think about it, bringing Dru back would confuse Spike."

"He's right," said a third voice, "It would split the group. The four of them would be screwed."

Spike crept ever closer to the voices. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. How could Drusilla come back? She had been staked a long time ago. It wasn't even possible.

Spike got close enough to see the things that we talking. It was a bunch of people in robes. He peered from behind the corner to see if he could figure out who they were.

"Looking for something?" someone said from behind him.

Spike spun around and came to face to face with a fist. He flew backwards into the wall. He looked in the direction of the hooded figures, but they had taken off. When he looked back at his attacker, he was given a sharp kick to the face. His head jerked backwards, hitting the wall again.

"What do you think you're doing here, Spike?" he asked.

Spike slowly rose to his feet, facing his attacker. He wiped the blood from his nose and looked into the eyes of Hamilton.

"Who were they?" Spike questioned.

"Who were who?" Hamilton asked.

"You know damn well who I'm talking about!" Spike shouted, "And you will tell me who they were."

"Or what?" Hamilton asked.

"I'll kill you," Spike said.

Hamilton just burst out laughing.

"What's so funny, mate?"

"You," he replied, "A vampire cannot defeat me."

"We'll see about that now won't we, mate?"

He gave Hamilton a quick jab to the face. The fist connected, but didn't seem to faze the man. Spike continued to punch away. However, nothing seemed to hurting Hamilton.

"I'm bored," he mumbled, "My turn."

Hamilton lifted an arm and gave Spike a right hook to the jaw. The blow sent the vampire soaring through the air. Spike landed on the ground on his back.

"Bloody hell!" he shouted, rising to his feet, "You've got one hell of a punch."

He ran towards Hamilton at full speed. Unfortunately, Hamilton was ready for the vampire. Spike leapt into the air and attempted to kick him. His foot was snatched out of the air. Spike gasped in surprise as he was thrown right through a wall.

"Are you finished yet?" Hamilton asked as Spike sat up on the other side of the wall.

Spike didn't reply. He was too exhausted. Hamilton, however, was no where near tired. He walked over and pulled Spike out of the hole in the wall. He grabbed the vampire by the neck and held him up in the air, tightening his grip.

"Are you gonna forget everything you saw here tonight?" he asked.

Spike didn't respond. He couldn't because the grip on his neck was preventing him from speaking.

"Answer me!" Hamilton shouted angrily.

Spike nodded his head slowly.

"Good," he said, "Now get out of here."

He tossed Spike over his shoulder and back in to the wall. Spike made another hole, directly above the first one. This time, however, he didn't move. The vampire just laid there in the rubble, staring up at the ceiling.

"We are so screwed," he mumbled.


	6. Seeking Answers: Episode 6

Seeking Answers

Episode 6

Kenya, Africa:

Buffy walked out of the front door of her hotel and onto the dirt street. It was bustling with activity as always. The citizens of this small town in Kenya worked very hard to earn a living or whatever else they did.

She's been staying at the hotel for a few weeks now. She'd originally come to Africa to learn all about her slayer past. There was only one problem with that though. She hadn't found any leads to where she might get information about her past. She had no idea where to even look for someone or something that might have information.

It'd be another day of shopping. Normally she'd be excited about going shopping, but not today. She was so tired of shopping. And besides, she didn't have much money left. Now she just wanted to go home and forget all about this stupid vacation. It had been such a waste of time and money.

As she rounded a corner, she felt like she was being watched. Last time, she had taken out that guy that was following her. She was kind of in the mood for hurting someone, so she hoped that someone was following again. Unfortunately when she turned around, she didn't see anyone unusual.

"Excuse me?" someone asked.

Buffy nearly jumped out of her skin. Nothing had ever scared her before. It was very puzzling to her. She turned back around and saw an older woman standing a few steps away from her.

"Hi," Buffy said.

"Are you Buffy Summers?" the woman asked.

"Uh…yeah," she answered.

"Come with me," the woman said and took off down the road.

Buffy didn't hesitate. She took off at full speed after the woman. This was the action she'd been waiting for. She dashed in and out of the crowds, trying to keep up with this woman who ran surprisingly fast.

Eventually Buffy arrived at the edge of town. There stood the woman, looking out into the savannah. Buffy approached cautiously as to not startle her.

"Who are you?" Buffy questioned, coming up next to her.

"Not who you think I am," the woman answered.

"And who's that?" Buffy asked.

"You think that I am your guide," the woman replied, "And I am not."

"Then who are you and why did you lead me out here?" Buffy asked again.

"I am no one important," she told Buffy, "Just a messenger. I led you out here because that was what I was told to do."

"Who told you to?" Buffy asked.

"You will find out shortly," the woman replied, "But first you must go to that cave."

Buffy looked in the direction that the older woman was pointing. Several yards from where they were standing was a cave. It was located on the side of a fairly large rock.

"Why should I trust you?" Buffy questioned.

"Because the answers to your questions are there," she said.

The woman turned and walked back into town.

"How do you know I have questions?" Buffy asked.

"Because you're the slayer," she replied, "And all slayers have questions. Why should you be any different?"

And with that the woman disappeared back into the town. Buffy now had even more questions that she wanted answered. Figuring that she had nothing to lose, she decided to go to the cave and find out if the woman was really telling the truth.

After a short walk, Buffy reached the entrance to the cave. At first, she hesitated about entering but her curiosity got the best of her and she walked in. It got darker as she walked farther into the cave. Pretty soon she couldn't even see where she was going. She had to use her hands to lead herself on.

Then in the distance she noticed a faint light. As she walked on, she wondered what it could be. She continued on, her hands out in front to guide the way. She hoped that this wasn't some sort of trap. If it was, then there was going to be hell to pay.

Eventually she reached a cavern. In the middle, there was a small fire going. Off to the left side of the cavern was a small pond. But the thing that caught Buffy's attention the most was the man sitting with his back to her, in front of the fire.

"I knew you'd be here," the man said.

"You," Buffy said, "You pop up all over the place."

The man turned around to face her. He smiled.

"Haven't figured it out yet?" Whistler questioned.

"Figured what out?"

"I am your guide," he replied.

"You gotta be kidding me!" Buffy exclaimed.

"Come on, I've talked to you numerous times and you still haven't figured it out," he said, "Remember when you found me in Giles' apartment all those years ago? I've been your guide since then."

"Why'd you wait so long to show up again?

"You didn't need me," he said.

"I needed guidance," she replied, "Where were you all those times when I needed guidance?"

"Not from the Powers," Whistler said, "From your friends. Come, sit down and we'll talk."

Buffy walked forward towards the fire, taking a seat on the rock across from Whistler.

"Your friends have always been there to give you advice," he began, "The right advice. The Powers could not help you with that kind of advice. They had to."

"All those times?"

"Yes and it wasn't until recently that you needed assistance from them. They usually like to stay out of the affairs of humans and just watch. But they had to interfere when the goddess appeared. She had pulled a quick one against them, infiltrating their oracles. They only interfere when something poses a threat to them. And it's not often that something does."

"Did they ever interfere with the lives of previous slayers?" Buffy asked.

"I don't believe so," he replied, "Most of the slayers didn't face any large-scale battles. Hell, a large majority of them never even fought in an apocalypse."

"That's hard to believe."

"Most died in small battles with vampires," he went on, "Like the ones that Spike killed."

"Robin's mother never fought in any big battles?" Buffy asked.

"Nope."

"What about the first slayer?"

"No. She had some run-ins with demons and vampires and whatnot, but she never went against anything really big."

"How did she die?" Buffy asked.

"Just like the rest of you," he replied, "Although in a more brutal manner."

"Explain."

"Well let's see…where to begin…ah yes. In the past, there really weren't any vampires. They are more of a modern thing, this millennium. Back then, demons ran rampant all over the earth," he started.

"You mean demons walked the earth with humans?" Buffy questioned.

"Not with them," Whistler replied, "But as them. Demons would kill a human and wear its skin as a disguise. This way they would be able to walk around without standing out. It was their way of surprising the enemy."

"So there was no way of knowing who was a demon?" Buffy asked.

"There was, but it was very hard to tell," he went on, "Only those trained to look for it could. A group of men, what would be the Watcher's Council, had discovered how to tell who was real and who was a demon. They taught the slayer this technique so that she would not be surprised."

"How could they tell?"

"By looking deep into a person's eyes, peering into their soul," Whistler said, "Of course, demons don't have a soul so there was nothing there."

"I thought we were talking about how she died?" Buffy asked, getting a little annoyed.

"Sorry, I get off track sometimes," Whistler said apologetically.

"It's all right."

"Okay so the slayer walked around always looking for people's souls. She kept a close watch on everyone in her tribe. She would do rounds every night before sunset, making sure everyone was clean," he continued, "But then one day, a stranger came into her village. He was unlike any other stranger though. She couldn't see into his eyes. She had no way of knowing if the man possessed a soul."

"The demons figured out how to hide that too?" Buffy asked.

"I'm getting there!" he shouted.

"Oh…"

"Anyway, when she approached the members of the Council, they told her not to worry. She returned to her village worried anyway. Then one night, as she lay in bed, there was a noise from outside her hut."

_Africa__, unknown time:_

_Her eyes sprung open. Jumping out of bed, she reached under it and grabbed a sharpened piece of wood, a stake. She stepped lightly, carefully walking toward the doorway. She was a very cautious person since she'd become the slayer. She didn't want to take chances; she couldn't take chances._

_ Flinging open the clothe hanging from the door she peered out into the night. It was a chilly night with a light breeze. But it was quiet, too quiet. She stepped slowly out into the night, looking in every direction. As she glanced around, the grip on the stake tightened._

_ Suddenly, she was knocked to the ground. Something heavy had hit her from above and was now on top of her. She quickly realized that it was a person. Throwing them off, she rose to her feet._

_ "You!" she exclaimed, remembering the man as the stranger, "I knew it!"_

_ The man just laughed. Then he advanced toward her. The slayer took a protective stance, preparing for the attack. The man's pace never changed; he just kept walking at her. That's when she decided to go on the offensive. She gave him a quick round house kick. However, he quickly reached up and grabbed hold of her leg, stopping her in midair. _

_ She yelled in pain as he twisted her ankle. Then he tossed her into her hut. It collapsed around her, burying her in straw, wood, mud, among other things. She lay there, covered by all these things. Before she even had time to react, he climbed into the debris and grabbed her by the neck. She was kicking and screaming as he lifted her into the air. Again he threw her. She landed on her back in the dirt with a thud. _

_ This time, he rushed quickly at her. Just as she was struggling to get up, he was upon her. Reaching into his bag, he drew a small dagger. He held it high into the air above her. It glistened in the moonlight._

_ "Slayer," he murmured, "Goodbye." _

_ The dagger came down and pierced her flesh. He cut out her heart and took off into the night with it. She died that night, alone there in the dirt. She wasn't found until the next morning when her tribe stumbled upon her cold body._

Kenya, Present Time:

"Well that certainly was a bit gruesome," Buffy said.

"I warned you," Whistler replied.

There was silence between them. The only sound was the fire, cackling in the darkness.

"Why did they have to die?" Buffy asked, "They didn't deserve it. I did. I deserved to die."

"They weren't supposed to," he told her, "You weren't supposed to. None of this was supposed to happen."

"What do you mean?" Buffy asked.

"The goddess was never supposed to come forth," he answered, "Her arrival was not planned. She snuck back into this world."

"But how?"

"Bad men, sorcerers, brought her back," he replied, "They didn't know what they were getting themselves into. They didn't know how powerful she was. The Powers didn't see her coming at all."

"I thought they were all-seeing, all-knowing," Buffy said.

"They are."

"So they made a mistake," Buffy went on.

"No, they didn't. But they were tricked. The goddess infiltrated their oracles and tricked them in their own realm."

"What?" Buffy questioned.

"Posing as the vampire, she was granted access to their realm. She was nothing more than a spirit, but she used the vampire as a disguise. They sent her to earth in human form. And that allowed for her power to be released. Once she came to earth, she discovered the oracles and broke in. She killed them and assumed their form."

"Oh," Buffy said.

"But before that, other things occurred that never should have," he told her.

"Like what?" she asked.

"Your resurrection."

"The second time?" Buffy asked.

"Your deeds were complete," Whistler said, "You had served your purpose by disposing of Glory. You were to be rewarded in heaven, reunited with your mother and given happiness and rest. But your friends dragged you back to the mortal coil."

Tears formed in Buffy's eyes. She knew that her friends had done wrong by bringing her back. Only now did she know the true extent.

"The Powers didn't expect that at all. They already had a plan set in motion to get Faith, now reformed, out of prison and back to Sunnydale. It was to be a few months later."

"Again, I thought the Powers That Be were all-knowing and whatnot," Buffy said, "Couldn't they have stopped my friends?"

"No. They do not like to interfere with the lives of humans," he told her, "Even if they watched everything that was supposed to happen fall apart. They still don't interfere."

"But they interfered when they gave me that cube," Buffy interjected.

"Like I said before, there was a threat against their existence," he said, "But technically they didn't interfere."

"Whatever," Buffy said.

There was one question that Buffy wanted to ask. It had been bugging her for a long time now.

"Why wasn't another slayer called after I died?" Buffy asked.

"When the Powers knew that your time had come, they realized that another slayer would be called after your passing. But that meant there would still be two slayers. Their chance to change that happened when you died again. Before your death, they severed your line. You were the last in that line of slayers. The line would be completely connected to Faith."

"Oh."

"But all this slayer folklore doesn't matter anymore," he continued, "Because the slayer line has ended."

"Wait, if the line was created by magik, can't it be restored by it?" Buffy asked.

"You would think so," Whistler replied.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"The line can't be restored because those magiks are long gone," he answered.

"But the Council did it recently," Buffy interjected.

"That was temporary," he told her, "Those powers didn't exist."

"But couldn't I add some power to those magiks, making it permanent?"

"It's not possible."

"But why?" Buffy asked, growing upset.

She couldn't believe that after all this time of saving that world that she had been the one to screw it up in the end. She was the reason why there would never be another slayer.

"Don't give up hope!" Whistler exclaimed.

"Why not?"

"I have some good news for you," he said.

"What could you possibly say that could make me feel better?" Buffy asked.

"There is another."

"What?"

"When Faith died, another was called," he replied.

"Another slayer?" Buffy questioned.

"Yes."


	7. Another One: Chapter 7

Another One

Episode 7

Wolfram and Hart:

It was late and Angel was leaving his office. The floor was empty; the others had all turned in for the night. He walked up to the elevator and pressed the down button. Normally he would use his own private elevator, however it was broken. After a few moments, there was a noise telling him that the elevator had come up to the floor.

As the doors slid open, a wounded, half-conscious Spike fell, face-first, to the ground at Angel's feet.

"Spike?" he questioned.

Angel bent down and rolled the other vampire over onto his back. He noticed the wounds and blood all over Spike. It was obvious that the vampire had taken a serious beating.

"Who did this?" Angel asked.

Spike didn't answer at first. He was having trouble comprehending what he heard.

"H-Ham-il-t-ton," Spike stuttered.

Angel was curious now. Of course he knew that Hamilton was involved in the whole Circle of Black Thorn thing, but he didn't think that Hamilton knew that Angel knew about it.

"Come on, let's get you into my office," Angel said, lifting Spike's shoulders off the ground and dragging him back towards the office.

Kenya, Africa:

"Who is she?" Buffy demanded.

"I couldn't tell you," Whistler replied.

Buffy had been sitting around this fire for almost three hours now. She was trying to get Whistler to tell her about the last slayer. However, she wasn't getting the answer that she wanted.

"How can you not know?" she asked, "You're a messenger of the Powers. Don't they tell you this stuff in case I have questions?"

"No," he answered, "I only know what they tell me, which isn't much. Most of the things I know, I pick up on my own. And the new slayer's identity is not one of them."

"What about her location?"

"Again, I don't know," Whistler said, "That's another thing they didn't tell me."

Buffy was really starting to get frustrated. Whistler had answered all of her questions earlier, but now he was lying to her. She knew he was.

"Look, I know you're lying," Buffy said.

"Why do you say that?" he asked.

"I can tell," she replied, "You won't look me in the eye when you answer."

"Not true."

"Sure it is and you know it," she said, "Please just tell me where she is."

"I honestly don't know," he answered again.

"Fine, then I'm not going to LA to help Angel until I find her."

"Good luck with that," he said, "It's a big world and she could be anywhere in it."

Wolfram and Hart:

The next day, the gang was all seated in Angel's office. The vampire had tried his best to keep the meeting secret. He didn't want Hamilton to know what was going on.

"So Hamilton attacked you?" Giles asked.

"Bloody right he did," Spike replied, "And the bugger will pay for it."

"What did you do?" Nina asked.

"Nothing," Spike answered.

"Of course he did something," Angel put in.

"Okay, well by nothing, I mean that I overheard a conversation between a few people dressed in robes. Hamilton saw me and attacked me when I questioned who they were," Spike told them.

"He's trying to keep the Black Thorn hidden from us. We're not supposed to know about it," Giles said.

"What are we going to do?" Nina asked.

There was silence for a few moments as the three of them glanced up at Angel. They were awaiting a reply from their leader.

"We have to lie low," Angel told them, "Stay away from Hamilton as much as you can. We know nothing. We need to run this office the way that we've been running it all along. Got it?"

All three nodded in response.

"Good," he replied, "Now let's get back to work."

Downtown, LA, That Night:

Spike was beginning to worry. He'd gotten beat up by Hamilton twice already and was starting to doubt himself. He wondered if he was getting weaker. It seemed like a strange thing, but it made sense.

It was getting pretty late as Spike walked through downtown Los Angeles. But he didn't care. He had nothing better to do. That's when he heard a noise coming from a nearby alley. Walking up to it, he noticed that someone was getting attacked.

"Greetings, mate," he said, ready for a fight.

This was the perfect chance for Spike to prove himself. Sure it was an easy kill; a weak vampire. But that didn't matter.

"Vampire!" one of the people in the alley shouted.

The attacker quickly pulled out what looked like a stake and dusted the vampire they were attacking. Then they turned their attention on Spike.

As the attacker walked towards him, Spike quickly realized that it was a young woman. She had very short black hair and was about medium height. She looked well-built as well. There was something different about this girl. There was power radiating from her.

"You're a slayer," Spike said.

"Duh!" she yelled, coming at him.

Spike quickly dodged and followed up with a quick jab to her face. His fist hits its mark. The girl groaned, but quickly recovered.

"Better watch yourself, luv," he said, "Not too keen with those fighting skill."

The girl glared at him and then attacked again. This time, she came at him, punching and kicking. She managed to knock Spike back a bit.

"Bloody hell!" he shouted, "I'm on your side!"

"Nice try, vampire," she replied, "But I'm not stupid."

She followed up her last attack with a roundhouse kick. Her foot connected with his jaw and he fell back. Spike slowly rose to his feet.

"Look, luv, I have…" Spike said before being interrupted.

"William the Bloody," she smirked, "It's been a while."

"What the bloody hell are you talking about?" he questioned, "I don't know you."

Spike was really confused. How could this girl have known him? It seemed impossible.

"What, don't remember?" she asked.

Spike didn't answer. He had no idea what she was talking about.

"Do you remember my friend?" she asked, "Do you remember draining her and then snapping her neck?"

"I've done that to a lot of people, luv," he replied.

She punched him in the face again. He stumbled backwards, blood now dripping from his nose.

"You remember, two girls, walking home through the park," she said.

_Spring 1998, Sunnydale, Ca:_

_It was warm summer night. Two young girls were walking through a dimly-lit park, on their way home from dance class. They were exhausted. It had been a long class. As they rounded a corner, they heard rustling in the bushes up ahead._

"_What was that?" the one asked, a little scared._

"_Probably just a raccoon or something," the other replied._

_Just as they reached the bushed, someone jumped out in front of them. Both girls screamed and turned to run. Unfortunately the figure had appeared right in front of them._

"_Hello girlies," he said in a British accent._

_The two were frozen in terror. They didn't know what to do._

"_You should know that you shouldn't be outside, alone, at night," he told them, "It's very dangerous out here."_

_He reached out and grabbed the second girl by the arm, pulling her towards him. The girl was too afraid to scream. Her friend stood there in horror as the man's facial features changed before her eyes. At first, she didn't know what was going on. Then she noticed the fangs. _

"_Y-you're a v-vampire," she stuttered._

"_That's right, luv," he smirked, leaning in to bite the one girl, "The name's Spike."_

_He sunk his fangs into the one girl's neck, slowly draining the life out of her. Her friend could only stand there and watch as she grew weaker. She just stood there watching, unable to do anything. She was helpless._

_Eventually the vampire pulled away from the girl's neck. He smirked as he gripped her neck with both hands. He quickly twisted his wrists and a loud crack echoed through the darkness. Her limp body fell to the pavement._

_The other girl screamed, then turned and ran away into the darkness. Spike didn't give chase. He was satisfied for now. _

Los Angeles, Present Time:

"Now I remember," Spike said, "It seems like a lifetime ago."

"It was only a few years," the girl said.

"To me, it was a lifetime," he repeated, "I haven't killed a human for a few years now. Now that I've got a…"

"Save it, vampire!" she interrupted, "I don't care. I'm not here for small talk. I'm here to dust you."

Spike couldn't help but be amused. This girl thought she could beat him. That's when he remembered something.

"How could you be a slayer?" he asked, "They're all dead. I saw them die a few months ago."

"Guess what, I'm still here," she smirked.

She charged Spike once again. The vampire was taken off guard and she tackled him to the ground. Straddling him, she repeatedly punched him the face. Soon, blood was trickling down his face. That's when his face began to change. His brow was pushed back and his eyes turned yellow. In his mouth, fangs appeared.

As her hand came down to hit him again, Spike snatched it out of the air. He gripped her hand tightly, as if he was trying to crush it, chuckling the whole time. Eventually growing tired of this, he tossed her off before rising to his feet.

"Stupid girl," he grumbled as he watched her stand up.

He walked over as she was recovering and grabbed her by the throat. He lifted her into the air and began to crush her windpipe. She began to panic, clawing at him with her hands.

"Struggle all you want, luv," he said, "It won't help. You may be a slayer, but you're just a rookie. You can't take me. You were foolish to have tried."

He pressed harder and harder as she gasped for air. Soon black spots began to appear in her eyes. Spike had no intention of killing her, but she didn't know that. He planned to let her struggle for a little while longer.

After a few moments, the girl was unconscious. Spike released his grip and laid her gently on the ground. Before leaving, he made sure she was breathing. Then he walked off into the darkness. He was pleased that he still had it in him, but worried about this new slayer. Something didn't seem right to him.

Wolfram and Hart, the next day:

Angel was sitting in his office, reading up on the Circle of the Black Thorn again. This whole thing was really frustrating him. Just when he was ready to call it a day, Spike came strolling into the office.

"Afternoon," he said, looking worried.

Angel lifted his head from the book and looked in the other vampire's direction.

"What?" he questioned, annoyed by the intrusion.

"Can't a guy just pop in to say 'ello?" Spike asked.

"You don't," Angel grumbled.

Spike walked up to his desk and sat down in the chair facing Angel.

"Whatcha reading?" Spike asked, noticing the open book in front of the other vampire.

"Either tell me what you are doing in here or get out!" Angel snapped.

Spike decided to tell the vampire. It was probably good that he just come out with it before Angel staked him.

"There's another one," Spike said.

The anger and frustration on Angel's face disappeared. It was replaced by a look of confusion.

"Another what?"

"Slayer."

"That's not possible," Angel replied, "We saw them all die. The only one left is Buffy."

"I found her," Spike said, "Downtown. She attacked me. I knocked her out."

"Stop pushing my buttons, Spike," Angel grumbled, angry again.

"She was strong, Angel. And she knew who I was."

"Save it!" he yelled, "I don't want to hear your nonsense. I'm way too busy to be dealing with your stories."

Just then a cough came from the doorway. Both vampires looked over to see Giles standing there.

"Another slayer?" Giles questioned.

"I found her downtown," Spike told him, "She attacked me."

As Giles walked into the office, he noticed the bloodstain on Spike's jacket. Spike realized what the watcher was looking at and held up the spot to show Angel.

"She did this," he said, flashing it in front of Angel.

"It was probably just from when Hamilton attacked you," Angel grumbled.

"All the potential slayers died," Giles said, "You saw them. Remember?"

"I know that," Spike said, "But she must have escaped it."

"You were probably drunk, Spike," Angel said.

"I know what I saw!" Spike shouted, "I could feel her power."

"Doesn't mean she was a slayer," Angel countered, "Could have been a witch."

"Fine!" Spike shouted, "Don't believe me! But don't complain to me when she comes after you."

Giles finally spoke up again after listening.

"Listen you two," he began, "We'll look into this. If there's a slayer in town, I'm sure that we will run into her eventually."

Kenya, Africa:

"I'm leaving," Buffy said, rising to her feet.

It was obvious to her that Whistler wasn't going to give her any more answers. The two had been quiet for quite some time now. She was fed up with him now. As she turned to walk, she felt his hand on her arm.

"What?" she asked.

"You will find what you are looking for in Los Angeles," he told her.

"What?"

Whistler didn't repeat himself. He turned back to the fire.

"She's in LA?" Buffy asked.

Again, Whistler didn't respond. Buffy began to get frustrated.

"Tell me, is she with Angel?" Buffy asked.

"I guess you'll have to find that out for yourself," Whistler answered.

Buffy stood there quietly for a few moments. She was weighing her options. As of right now, it was the only lead she had to the girl's whereabouts.

"Fine!" she yelled, "I'll go see Angel!"

She turned to leave again.

"But if she's not there, I'm gonna find you. You don't want to know what'll happen in that case."

Whistler just laughed as the slayer walked out of the cave. He had succeeded in getting Buffy to go to Los Angeles. Everything would be in place for the Apocalypse to occur. And then he would finally get to go home.


End file.
